Welcome to my blog

I don't always write a blog, and indeed some of the companies I work for as a freelancer specifically insist that I don't, but I do occasionally like to put my thoughts and trips into words for posterity, by way of a wee diary, and also an illustration of what I get up to with folks. I do hope you find it interesting, and would welcome any feedback or comments.The best way to search my Archive to see if anything is of interest to you is to type into Google 'johnnywalker.co.uk', then a space, then your query, e.g. 'Arrochar', and you will get a selection of pages and blogs

As I have some things to do in England this week, I had a look on MWIS to see what the forecast for the Lakes held in store. I was delighted that for several days it consistently said 'negligable wind, no precipitation and a 70% chance of a cloud-free summit', along with a suggestion of a cloud inversion to boot. Excellent. A wee visit to the Lakes it is then.

I met Paul at the little cricket club carpark just east of Rydal water, one of the rare places you can park for free in the Lakes. The drive down had been rainy and cloudy, but I trusted Geoff and his team of meteorologists to come up with the goods. We set off on an excellent track which passes one of the current rash of mini hydro-electric plants that are springing up all over Scotland, and now apparently the Lakes too. Eminently preferable to the blight that are wind turbines in my opinion, blending in as they do with local agricultural buildings.

Our route then took us through Rydal Hall, outrageously twee and pretty in the way only Lakeland establishmenst can be, and past a stile respendent with freshly baked mince pies being sold for charity. Most festive! It was then onto the hill properly, up a steep but very well made path where we sweated out our weekend's excesses. We were still in thick mist, which repeatedly showed the promise of thinning, and we stuck to our hopes for an inversion as we ascended ever higher along the ridge towards Fairfield itself at 873m.

The intermediate tops came and went, and as we were motoring, the summit of Fairfield soon emerged from the mist to welcome us with many cairns and shelters. I had read what a confusing place it can be, and Paul and I took our time to calculate the correct descent route to the next destination, he having had to escort people off the top before. Confident in our navigation, we set off briskly. Within a few minutes, we passed two people in the murk, and greeting them, realised we had passed them earlier - We had missed our path junction. Out came the compass, and a proper navigaton leg ensued to put us back on route. It's amazing how the plethora of paths that abound in the Lakes can be more bewildering than a bare hillside.

Hart Crag was the next slightly confusing top, again needing a bearing. From then on it was just a case of following the impressive and meticulously constructed dry stone wall southwards back towards Ambleside, often through deep bog. The sun did of course break through just as we got below 200m, revealing a brooding and incredibly still day, more reminiscent of autumn than winter. The sting in the tail was a small down scramble on the path that was intimidating where the smooth, worn rock was covered in a slime of wet lichen. I have only experienced rock this slimy and greasy once before in Glencoe, and suspect it's the mix of temperature and dampness that leads to such an incredibly slippery co-efficient. Worse than verglas! We had a giggle at how embarrassing it would be to take a slip on a Lakeland path at 200m alongside some of our normal exploits.

So a Lakeland classic done in 5.5hrs, and not a sniff of a view. Boo. Still, it means I will have to go back when there's a good forecast........er, wait a minute!

​After an enforced two week lay-off due to the Kathmandu Koff, I was desperate to get out, but the weather has been persistently poor - Unseasonably warm and wet. Finally, I could take it no more, so despite still feeling under par, I sallied forth to Glen Lochay for two munros I last did on a sunny day 12 years ago. They would take my second round tally to 221 hopefully, so a fig to the weather!

Forecasted 'substantially dry', despite low cloud, and with temps. of 4c on the summit, it wasn't THAT bad....but it rained pretty much all day, heavily. And the wind strengthened on the last summit to 40mph+ just to add to the pleasure. There was almost no lying snow at all, and the terrain was pathless and very boggy. Grand.

The plan was for Sgiath Chuil first, from the track to the top of the huge hydro water pipe and up the ridge. Almost immediately my heels started to feel sore. I was wearing some boots I had gotten from a friend, as he couldn't get on with them, and they had a lot of wear left in them - They made his heels sore apparently! Thankfully I had a good supply of zinc oxide tape, and taped them good and proper. The boots (Meindls) have a raised seam behind the lining of the heel, a very poor design. Shame we haven't a receipt, or else they'd be sent back.

The summit was shrouded in mist and didn't invite a lingering lunch, so I dropped steeply down to the boggy bealach at 600m, and following my nose, back up equally steeply to just south of the summit of Beinn Cheataich. I must admit to being pleased with my dead reckoning in the featureless terrain so very different to the hill walker who did them all those years ago, who would have found today very challenging!

I could then follow a faint path to Meall Glas and back. As I approached the summit cairn, I couldn't believe there was someone else there. Not only that, they were sitting atop the cairn, apparently looking at a map, in that wind! As I got nearer, I was just about to call out, and realised it was just the rocks forming the figure. Look at my photo, and see what you think?

It really did feel like the old days, out on the hills in awful weather alone in the middle of the week. I felt quite nostalgic, but also felt my added years and bad chest, so was happy to get below the cloud. My last obstacle was the fording of the river at Lubchurran, as the bridge marked on the OS isn't there anymore. I knew this, hence why I went up via the water pipe track. It wasn't too deep, and I got away no wetter than I was after 6hrs of bog-trotting really.

Today was one of those days where you really question your motivation - I mean, look at the pics...not exactly inspiring eh? But that's how you build your resilience, your fitness and your experience, and how you make the good days even better. And it's how you tick the munros. And by heck, the shower, meal and pint are all the sweeter when you get home :)​

I was lucky enough last month to be the expedition leader on a trek to the Annapurna Sanctuary Base Camp at 4130m, followed by an ascent of Tent Peak, or Tharpu Chuli at 5663m. Nepal is a wonderful, enigmatic place, and we had a fantastic and successful trip.